Boeing will continue to extend the B-52 bomber’s effectiveness and flexibility under a brand new U.S. Air Force contract that demands the aircraft’s smart weapons capacity to expand by 50 percent.
Under the $24.6 million agreement, Boeing will develop a modification to existing weapon launchers so the aircraft can carry smart weapons within the bomb bay, allowing aircrews to take advantage of the B-52’s entire weapons capacity.
“When you mix that ability with the extremely long flying time of the B-52, you’ve a good and flexible weapon system that’s very valuable to warfighters at the ground,” said Scot Oathout, B-52 program director. “This weapons capacity expansion joins the CONECT program, a comprehensive communication upgrade currently being installed at the aircraft, to provide the warfighter much more flexibility.”
Boeing will produce three prototype launchers for test and evaluation. Initial capability is predicted in March 2016, and potential follow-on efforts could add additional weapons and make allowance a mixed load of other kinds of weapons. Following the upgrade’s first phase, the B-52s could be ready to carry 24 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) or 20 2,000-pound JDAMs. Later phases will add the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and its extended range variant (JASSM-ER), in addition to the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) and its jammer variant (MALD/J).
The bomb bay upgrade also will enable the B-52 to hold weapons internally only, increasing fuel efficiency in flight. The modernization work will use parts from existing Air Force rotary launchers repurposed for conventional missions, in addition to hardware and software already developed for the wing pylons.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is definitely one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses focusing on innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 58,000 employees worldwide.
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